Member Avatar for DAS-03590

I have a strange issue that has been bothering me for quite some time now.

I have a Macbook that will not connect correctly to my home network via wireless. The issue becomes noticeable when the Mac leaves and then comes back, but won't connect automatically back onto the network

Currently all I can give from the computer is that it is running OS X-SL but not fully sure of version number.

As for the network;

Netgear N600 Wireless
-Config:
--Wireless B&G Enabled
---Security WPA-Personal
--DHCP Server is active
---Reservation for Macbook IP Address is set


Though I can get the computer to connect, I end up restarting the Airport and then manually selecting the wireless and putting in the pass phrase before it can be used.

This is the only Mac in house, all other computers are Windows PCs and one central network printer. If I need to map out the network for anyone here than I can. But it only seems to be between the Mac and the wireless.

Not sure of anything else that may be needed but if so then I should be able to get it posted up within 24 hours of the request.

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  • 6 Replies
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  • Latest Post Latest Post by dfxgrid12

Dani AI

Generated

Brief summary and next steps (adds to , builds on )

If the Mac reliably reconnects to one access point but not the other, that strongly points to a client/AP compatibility issue rather than a general Mac hardware fault. Beyond switching APs, try the following focused checks in this order — they avoid repeating the tests already tried in the thread and will help pin down whether the problem is the Mac, the AP configuration, or their interaction.

Practical checklist (Mac first)

  • Create a new network Location (System Preferences → Network → Location → Edit → +) and set Wi‑Fi up fresh.
  • Remove the offending SSID from the preferred networks list and delete its password entry from Keychain Access, then rejoin.
  • Test with a manual/static IP (briefly) to rule out DHCP lease collisions or duplicate-IP events.
  • Inspect system logs while reproducing the problem: open Console and filter for airport/airportd/kext messages to capture disassociation or auth failures.

Router/AP and radio checks

  • Temporarily disable advanced features (band steering, airtime/WMM, 40MHz channel width) and force a single band/SSID so the Mac must pick one frequency — this isolates band/roaming bugs.
  • Fix the AP to a non‑auto channel (1, 6 or 11 on 2.4 GHz) to rule out interference.
  • Verify there’s no MAC filtering, multiple DHCP servers, or short lease times that would kick clients off.

System-level recovery and diagnostics

  • Reset PRAM and SMC per Apple’s model-specific steps, then reboot into Safe Mode to test.
  • Use a short command sequence to identify the Wi‑Fi interface and restart it, and back up then remove the SystemConfiguration preference files if you suspect corrupted network prefs:
networksetup -listallhardwareports
sudo ifconfig <wifiInterface> down
sudo ifconfig <wifiInterface> up
sudo cp /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/preferences.plist ~/Desktop/
sudo rm /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.airport.preferences.plist

If these don’t isolate the fault, capture a router log of the device’s MAC during an attempted reconnect (AP-side logs often show the reject reason) and report those messages — they give the clearest clue.

Recommended Answers

All 6 Replies

Member Avatar for cocolio

I had a similar issue with my hackintosh, the problem is with the wireless security, i see that you are using WPA, so perhaps you are using the TKIP cyphering, just change it to AES restart your router and voila!!! hav phun

PS: If you cannot change from TKIP to AES try upgrading your firmware or changing security to WPA2, happy new year.

Member Avatar for DAS-03590

Well, we have the latest firmware installed on the router, as stated by the update client, but swapping the TKIP to AES didn't change anything for the Mac, doing that kick a few other devices off the network.

I did some digging around and I found our old router, Netgear WNDR3300, which was used before with the Mac. Since we had no issues with that router and the Mac, I just hooked it up, applied the saved config file for it from almost two years ago that I had on a storage drive, and the Mac picked it up and went on.

So far no issues but now comes a question of what is different between the Netgear N600 WNDR3400 and the Netgear WNDR3300. With the WNDR3300 the Mac seems to be working fine now without issues. Will know more by the week end.

Member Avatar for robinchauhan05

Well you have to troubleshoot to get connected.

Member Avatar for cocolio

Well i just shared what happened to me, i have read that tkip and OS X cant live together ;) anyway try to troubleshoot your network and post, you can use wireshark to capture packets, cheers.

Member Avatar for DAS-03590

That's entirely possible, I've heard of others having the same issue, but with the older router, I'll have to dig into it's settings, but everything seems to be working just fine for now. I'll be grabbing some more information as time goes on. Thanks for the help on this matter.

Member Avatar for dfxgrid12

What a bummer dude! I love my FIOS on my MacBook Pro.

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